July 29, Colombo: The Colombo District Court today issued a permanent Stay Order preventing the main opposition United National Party (UNP) from expelling the crossed-over parliamentarian Earl Gunasekara from party membership.

The UNP Polonnaruwa District parliamentarian crossed-over to the government last September and had secured a deputy ministerial portfolio as the Deputy Minister of Plantation Industries.

The District Court delivering the judgment said the permanent Stay Order will be effective until the completion of the case.

Gunasekera In his petition had said that the UNP had launched a disciplinary inquiry after he joined the Government last year and asked the Court to issue a permanent Stay Order suspending the inquiry. The Deputy Minister says the inquiry has been launched without calling on him to show cause and it is illegal.

Gunasekara and five other UNP legislators voted with the government when constitutional amendments were taken up in parliament last year.

Upeksha Swarnamalee, Abdul Cader, Nimal Wijesinghe, Lakshman Seneviratne, and Manusha Nanayakkara were the other opposition members who crossed-over to the government and voted in favor of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution.